She is 4-years-old and staying with her great-grandmother, Nur (nuh) while the parents are at work. It's a sunny spring day. Aunt Ruth is there too. Ruth is Nur's deceased husband's aunt, who raised him after his parents died. Ruth lives in the house because no one else will have her, and Nur has promised Gram (her husband) that she will care for her.
Nur is hanging laundry on the line in the backyard. It is a load of sheets. She is hanging large white flat sheets with her back to the little girl. She is sitting on the back stoop playing with her doll, Dahlia (daylia). Dahlia and she are inseparable. It is very warm and sunny on the porch. She carefully sits Dahlia on the step and goes into the house. She is headed to the bathroom, when out of nowhere she is struck in the face by the back of Ruth's hand. The next thing she knows, she is lying on the floor looking at the rocker on Ruth's chair. Ruth is leaning over the little girl and yelling. Her face is contorted and she is shaking her finger at the little girl. She knows Ruth is talking to her, but at first she can't make out the words. Ruth says something about that Lucile (Nur) woman. It's the little girl’s fault she says. If she hadn't . . . what? Ruth grabs her arm and hauls her up. “Don't tell anyone. They won't believe you. You're a liar.” She shoves the little girl toward the door leading to the rest of the house.
She wanders to the bathroom. She wants to see her face in the mirror, but she is too short. She must be a different person now. She uses the bathroom. She is trapped. She wants out of the house, but to get out she’ll have to walk by Ruth again. How can she keep from making her mad again when she doesn't know what she did the first time? She settles into the corner behind the bathroom door. If she stays here, Nur will worry and come looking. Maybe she'll be mad too. The little girl reaches for the doorknob and turns it slowly. She peeks out into the hallway. She doesn't see anyone. She can hear the TV from the den. Ruth is watching wrestling. Ruth loves wrestling. Slowly she creeps out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Tiptoes into the kitchen very carefully, listening, watching. She makes her way to the den door and peers around. Ruth is still in her chair, focused on the TV. The little girl edges around the door frame and keeps as close as possible to the far side of the room. She never takes her eyes off Ruth, and Ruth never looks at the little girl. Finally she is passed the chair. The back door is in sight. The little girl makes a dash for it, flinging open the screen door. She is safe! She has made it to the stoop. Everything looks the same. Nur is still hanging out sheets. Dahlia is sitting on the step waiting. The sun is shining and a warm breeze is blowing, but nothing is the same. It is all different.
She picks up Dahlia and goes to sit in the shadowed corner between the stoop and the house. What did she do?
